Polish chess no. 1 Jan-Krzysztof Duda talks to Kaja Snare after winning the Aimchess Rapid, the 8th event on the $1.6 million Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. Replay the games:
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#Duda #ShakhriyarMamedyarov #ChessChamps
And uh we're also joined by the winner John Christoph Duda huge congratulations Thank you yeah how do you feel right now Excuse me Um happy and joyful that I Um have managed to win the tournament But uh I'm very Um like my today's performance was very Very bad I think and Um yeah I would love actually to forget About the games I I played in Rapids uh Because Um yeah I mean the first game was kind Of Um Unexpected a little bit to me because Somehow I wasn't feeling very Comfortable during the entire game was More or less because some somehow you Know I don't believe in symmetry I mean In a sense that um aside I mean a white I mean I don't believe inside who is Slightly better in symmetry I always Find so much really not to be like Drawn that's why for example you know I Play petrol or Berlin and so on because In general I just don't believe that you Can have problems and here in this uh Qga I mean okay why it is of course for Sure is because it is better developed But on the other hand I mean being black I would probably feel more comfortable You know just to try the briefing cringe And make a draw the white somehow I was
Like you know uh I mean that dry is fine But you know also it's not a really Shock position So um yeah I was uncertain about myself But then he blundered and um and and Went for this very interesting actually Queen sacrifice I didn't believe uh it was working but Um But somehow I I mean I totally lost it Like I had I think something like three Minutes and just couldn't calculate Anything go since the operation I think I mean I just kind of stopped uh I mean My brain stopped working and I was Basically burning time and couldn't like You know I mean calculate anything Sensible Um and and they basically didn't know What to do and I played a little bit Randomly and see if I had you know like I don't know 10 seconds or something Um So and of course we're losing this Position like in three moves or Something was very very disappointing Um But the thing like I regret the most was Uh that you know if you don't Don't know what to do then why not to You know push upon forward I mean I I Just I just didn't cross the idea of Playing you know C5 C6 which is Um
Yeah but very high influence basically The reason I I think I lost this game But also I was calculating actually to um I mean I was thinking about giving up uh My queen for The Rook and definitely Slightly worse than the game probably it Was more sensible I mean anything was of Course uh better in hand side than Losing Infamous and Um yeah but but I think and this defense Was very I mean was brilliant uh by him And Um yeah and it actually worked wonders And in the second game I was I wasn't Really playing golden with black but I Was thinking you know um That I mean it makes sense just to Complicate things and But they show us that I kind of was Rendering everything somehow Um Somehow I bought this queen C7 Um I believe it's coincidentally to be Smart just forgetting about Queen B3 Rook D1 which is um I think very bad Very bad for me actually but things that Chose to sacrifice only six like I mean very very cyclic and Yeah and I was kind of happy actually With this position but Um didn't quite know how to how to Proceed and actually casting Queen side Was very
Um was the best for me and I was Calculating it but Uh but that I mean I I had to I would Have to you know give give up my extra Piece and I really didn't want to do This and I was like you know it's okay I Will play this Rook d8 and after that I Mean everything collapsed very quickly Because I was basically blending like Everything I think I I I I Underestimated Knight D5 first of all And then of course I plundered Queen H3 After that I am planned the queen H4 uh Of course my position was hopeless but Then I blundered neither four of course After Queen F7 I also did in c9h5 check Which but I mean the way he played was An even better I think so um yeah Overall is very very pathetic game and Um Yeah and I did I I didn't but if you Know my chances in Rapid also I was kind Of extremely frustrated and had a Feeling that even if I you know somehow Would have some somehow pulled it off in My white game then like with black I I Wouldn't stand any chance So I mean to win on demand so Um I just decided okay Don't wanna you know I feel this Frustration anymore and just chose Uh actually the only line I could think Of you know to make a first draw we Fight against shark
Um so Um yeah and after either basically Decided you know to play in Blitz Because in Blitz um Um I I was feeling actually entirely Different you know putting them to Rapid And of course it's kind of pathetic I Mean you know so to abandon abandon my Chances rapid but um I said I didn't I Really uh was wasn't feeling like you Know uh Um and I didn't believe I can come back So Yeah and it basically paid off one can Say with uh with black eye Um I played this Vienna which Um I was actually you know Um preparing like uh in a lot of my Games but didn't have any chance to play It but somehow he I mean I also got kind Of confused uh sort of forgot what to do And Um But I but I think here some somewhere And but of course it's like very Complicated all the time And Um yeah and I think I was extremely Lucky actually it was someone expected That it was it was funny because I was Very proud of this bishop C6 more but Then but then panicked because after
Bishop takes you for that is Bishop E8 Uh after that I just thought you know I Can take on the eight and uh have decent Compensation for the queen but then Somehow you know Bishop G6 I I found this bishop G6 which looks uh Kind of I mean Miranda maybe it's not a fair uh Word but I mean like totally unexpected And kind of were I mean very strange but Just winning on the spot so it was uh of Course I mean like Um basically I would say much clincher Um because I mean you can always close With white but I I didn't believe I can do it to be Honest and but also I wasn't over happy With the way I played with with the way I played with in the second game And was also kind of lucky you know that The circus is for tactic Um because I didn't say it in advance I'm not sure I'm gonna agree you were Lucky you played a fantastic final uh Young Kristoff and yesterday you told us You were feeling tired and uh after a Long tournament obviously it's eight Days so it's Friday night are you gonna Celebrate this Oh yes a little bit I I guess uh Um yeah honestly By now I mean I I have no idea how I Would do it Um how I would celebrate but um I'm very
Happy Um of course to win this tournament and This match also kind of um that reminds Me my match against Magnus which Um Had a very like It was very similar in a sense that but It was like I was like Um like him I mean like Magnus that I Won the first much rather convincingly Than somehow In in what seemed like you know to be Like a one match I mean the second I Mean won the second match then Um then I then I lost two games and and Just you know had to play this uh Spread this Bliss but um yeah I said I Was it was just you know different Energy for me I was feeling extremely Motivated in Blitz and in contrast to uh To wrap it so Um yeah I I have no idea Um now how I would celebrate to be Honest We think you deserve a big celebration Uh young Crystal winning your second Tournament this season on the tour huge Congratulations Yes thank you